Acetylene-gas machine.



No. 634,879. Ptented out.` I7, |399.

L. E. cowm.

ACETYLENE GAS MACHINE.

(Application led Jan. 17, 1899.)

(No Model.)y

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LEVIS E. OORVIN, OF MELVERN, KANSAS.

ACETYLENE-GAS MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,879, dated October 17, 1899.

Application iiled January I7, 1899. Serial NO- '702,476- (NO model-3 .To a LU/00171, it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS E. CORWIN, ofI

Melvern, Osage county, Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-Gas Machines, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to gas-machines, and my object is to produce a machine of this character which will automatically cease manufacturing gas as the gas-bell attains a predetermined height, thereby eliminating an element of danger incident to the manufacture of an excessive volume of gas.

W'ith this and other objects in View theinvention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that the invention-may be fully understood I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l represents an acetylenegas machine constructed in accordance with my invention, the gas tank and bell being shown in elevation andthe generator in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a side view of the upper part of the gas tank and bell with the ller or watertank broken away to disclose the interior mechanism. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line III III of Fig. 2. Fig. 4; is a horizontal section of the gas tank and bell.

In the said drawings, where like referencenumerals designate corresponding parts, l designates the gas-tank, provided with an inverted conical bottom 2, by preference, and with a hollow frustum 3, resting concentrically upon said botton and having its upper open end above the water-line of the tank, said frustum dividing the tank into a gaschamber 4 and a surrounding water-chain ber 5.

6 designates a gas-bell having its lower end submerged in the water of chamber 5 in the customary manner and adapted to rise and fall accordingly as the volume of gas in the tank increases or diminishes.

6 designates a relatively small tank secured externally to the gas-tank and adapted to be charged with water when desirable from tank l through the faucet 7.

S designates a generator located at a convenient point and provided with a cylindrical partition 9, rising from its base and partitioning the generator' into an inner or gas chamber and an outer or Watenseal chamber, (see Fig. 1,) and lO designates the top or cover of the generator, said top or cover having its lower end always submerged in said waterchamber.

ll designates a carbid cup or basket provided with an inverted conical top or cover l2, perforated around its center, so as to distribute the water evenly over the carbid, (not shown,) which is placed upon the perforated partition 13, resting upon the cleats or supports 14, to the end that a chamber below said partition may be provided to receive the unconsumed water and the ash from the carbid. This water may be drained off through the medium of a valved drain-pipe (not shown) or may be poured out with the ash when the cup or basketl is removed from the generator to be cleaned and recharged, the top or cover l2 of course being removable for this purpose.

l5 designates a water-supply pipe leading from the tank 6 preferably to a point near the bottom of the generator, into which it extends horizontally and then upward, as shown at 16, to the top of the carbid-cup, where it Vis provided with the customary extension 17, pivoted, as at 18, to work vertically (as indicated by the arrow) in order that the cup may without difficulty be placed in or removed from the generator, the extension 17 normally overhanging the cup, so as to discharge the water as evenly as possible upon its perforated distributing-cap l2.

The upper end of the pipe l5, located in the tank 6, is connected to a valve of any suitable type, having a metallic tubeextension hinged thereto; but for convenience of illustration the said tube is illustrated as a flexible valve-tube 20, open when its free end is submerged in the water and closed when said end is lifted by the ascending gas-bell above the level of the water.

2l designates an arm projecting rigidly from the gas-bell, and pivoted thereto so as to work in a vertical plane is a lever 22. This lever extends slidingly through the guide-loops 23, projecting upward from the valve extensiontuhe near its opposite ends, tothe end that the rise of the gas-bell may swing said lever vertically upward, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 2, and thereby raise the free end IOO or mouth of the tube 2O above the water-level and stop the i'low of water to the generator. Where a valve having an arm or lever other than a hingedtube is employed,it is obvious that the relation between this movement and the surface level of the water is immaterial, the rise and fall of the gas-bell within certain limits effecting the opening and closing of the valve, as will be readily understood. In this action of the gas-bell it is obvious that the increasing distance between the pivotal point 25 of the lever and its point of connection with the arm 2l is accommodated by the sliding of the section 22 through the guide-loops 23 and that as the gas-bell descends and such distance diminishes said member 22 slides back through said loops in the opposite direction. It is also obvious that though the stopping of the iiow of Water to the generator stops the manufacture of gas a limited volume of gas, known as dead7 gas, will continue to be made until the carbid becomes thoroughly dry; but this increased volume of gas which goes to the gasometer will raise the bell thereof but little higher than the point it had attained when the water-supply to the generator was cut ol", and as the volume generated is below the capacity of the gasometer it is obvious that the element of danger attendant upon an overproduction of gas is entirely eliminated.

The gas passes from the generator by way of pipe 28 to the interior of the gas-chamber 4, and being surrounded by the water of the chamber 5 is dried and cooled in a comparatively short time.

The pipe 28 is provided at a suitable point with a cut-off 29 of the usual construction, which allows the excess of gas to escape from the generator through escape-pipe 30 while the generator is cut off from the gasometer.

3l designates a house-pipe which extends into the gas-tank below the lower edge of the bell when the latter is down and thence eX- tends vertically upward within the bell to a point above the water-line, as at 32.

33 designates a valve-controlled drain-pipe or faucet to discharge the water from the generator when necessary, and 34 a valve-controlled pipe or faucet to discharge the water from the gas-tank.

In practical operation supposing the cup to contain carbid and the tank l water in the required volume and the gas-bell to be depressed it will be obvious that the free end or mouth of the valve-tube 2O is submerged in the Water of the water-tank G, and that in consequence water is being discharged into the inverted conical top of the cup and is being distributed by the latter evenly on the carbid within the cup, and that the gas thus generated is passing from the generator through the pipe 28 into the cone or frustum shaped shell inside of the tank l and by reason of the surrounding water in said tank is being lowered in temperature and dried as quickly as possible. As the volume of gas increases the bell 6 rises and nally attains such elevation that the flexible or hinged valve-tube 2O is caused to assume a position with its mouth or free end above the waterline in the tank 6ft. the water-supply to the generator is cut off, the small volume of gas thereafter generated and passing to the gasometer being technically known as dead gas, the manufacture of such gas continuing until the carbid becomes dry. As the gas is used and the volume within the gasometer is lessened the bell descends gradually until the mouth of the valve-tube attains such level that the water may iiow through it to the generator, when the generation of gas is instantly resumed and the gas-bell rises in consequence. Thus it will be seen that the generation of gas will be automatic and reliable as long as the gasometer contains water and the generator carbid'and that, owing to the peculiar arrangement and relation between the gas-bell and the hin ged valve-tube, the volume of gas within the gasometer will at all times be sufficient to start the lights at their full brilliancy or candle-power. `When the gas-producing properties of the carbid are exhausted, practically all of the water contained in the tank 6b will run into the generator without alecting the supply in the tank l, by which the tank 6 is recharged when necessary through faucet 7, as hereinbefore explained.

` From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced an acetylenegas machine which embodies the features ofvv advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of invention and by which, furthermore, cool dry gas is obtained, and it is to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, proportion, detail construction, and arrangement of the parts as will not be a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

IIaving thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an acetylene-gas machine, a tank l, provided with chambers 4 and 5,.a gas-bell, having its lower end submerged in the water in chamber 5, the water-box 6, secured externall y to tank l, t-he faucet controlling the discharge of water from the tank to the boX, the

valve-tube hinged in the box, the lever 22 piv- Otally connected to the gas-bell, the links 28, connecting the pipe and the lever, being slidinglyconnected to the latter, the generator connected to chamber 4 of the tank, the pipe connecting the generator with the valve-tube on the water-box, and the house Vor service pi pe connected to the gasometer,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS E. CORWIN. Witnesses:

J. W. TURNER, A. A. NUMBERS.

As this event takes place IOO IIO 

